Open Thread: Ohio State v. Purdue
October 17, 2009While We’re Waiting – The Return of Bernie, Starbury on LBJ, and The NBA’s New Traveling Rule
October 18, 2009
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Just wanted to get a video of how I feel out of the way right off the bat. So, that game sucked. There was nothing positive to take away from it (though as Rock tweeted, Kurt Coleman is the only one who likely gets no blame after this one). The O-line sucked. Pryor sucked. The play-calling sucked. The Boiler-up chant sucked. The special teams more or less sucked (catch a punt often, Ray-Ray??).
I really don’t feel like going through the whole game because it’s going to cause me to throw up in my mouth. Instead I’m going to focus on the things that stood out to me, sort of like a Craiggy McCraigs bullet point post.
- One gripe about the refs then I’m off it – if Pryor’s first fumble was a fumble and not halted forward motion, then the fumble by the Purdue receiver in the first quarter was. You can’t call one a fumble and the other one a non-fumble.
- Pryor’s execution is horrendous. He threw the ball 4 feet over Jake Ballard’s head in the fourth quarter on 2nd and goal from the 2. Ballard is 6’6. Terrible. There were many occasions where he forced throws (his two INTs) and even the touchdown in the fourth was a duck that I couldn’t believe hit one of our guys in the hands. I’ve been one of the most patient in waiting for him to develop, and it’s just plain not happening. If we’re going to try and develop him into an NFL style QB, hire a QBs coach from the NFL. Otherwise the kid’s not going to learn.
- Why Tressel never even considered pulling Pryor is beyond me, and honestly scares the crap out of me. He was playing scared and looked totally shell-shocked in the second half. He was afraid to run and was forcing throws and pitches all over the place. There was a comment on the open thread about the people wanting to pull Pryor are like the ones that want to pull Quinn, and he needs to learn – no. Not at all. Pryor has been starting for over a full season. He hasn’t improved and had four (FOUR!!!) turnovers in this one game. There is a difference in their situations, and I still think that Pryor should have been pulled.
- The playcalling was pathetic. Once the team was down the run game disappeared. When the passing game was doing nothing, the run was never returned to (unless it was a terrible off-tackle that was blown up from the start). Rittenberg has it right – we had it coming with this offense. What’s more troubling for me is the fact that our offense moved in the two-minute drill. Why don’t we see a similar offense all game if that’s when the offense is most productive and consistent?
- Our O line is beyond crap. If Jim Bollman is still around after the season I might give up. He’s toast and needs to be gone. How Bryant Browning is still playing is beyond me. The false start penalties on first down are ludicrous.
- Let Hazell be the O-coordinator and let it rest. I’d like to know for sure who is calling the plays. This game was terrible and I want to know who is to blame. Yes, there’s a huge blame blanket that goes on everybody – but we deserve as fans to know who exactly is calling the plays. Unfortunately, we’re not going to know.
- Matt Hinton is calling this the worst loss of Tressel’s career. It’s hard to argue with this – yes, the Northwestern game in ’04 was rough, but they were a bowl team that ended up 6-6 as Luke from 11W pointed out to me. Purdue is not a bowl team. To steal from Peter King, this loss is Carrol-esque.
- I don’t know if Tress needs to go – I still think he’s earned his stay and does a great job representing the university (which is extremely to me as an alumnus). That being said (and we’ve gone through this before) – the coaching staff needs to be turned over. I mean like a total gut-job. Bollman and Heacock are dunzo. The talent is there on the roster, and it’s just not being developed properly.
Rat farts.
13 Comments
I read the blog as the video played (on repeat)… I have no idea what the hell you’re talking about since OSU loses to Purdue is so far off my radar. I spend most my action game time watching the Lakers or searching for the REAL killers.
Even though I’m clueless on your particular sporty activities, it was all said lucidly and amusingly. I also love your clip and the way the caddy gets the hell out of there asap. Love that film.
Hmmm…
“Our O line is beyond crap. If Jim Bollman is still around after the season I might give up. He’s toast and needs to be gone. ”
Maybe Jim is the caddy who should bolt.
The field goal call on 4th down was ridiculous. It’s still a two-score game at that point. Fitting that it was immediately canceled out by a Purdue field goal on the following drive.
Now don’t get me wrong here–the Buckeyes were horrendous all around–but I have to wonder how it changes that game if that fumble is called correctly.
I like the call for a re-shaping of our coaching staff. We definitely have talent but where is the development. And I will not whine about one blown call when coaching staff and players blew more calls, so one mistake by a ref will happen.
By the way Purdue made adjustments at hald and figured out how to score a TD, where were are adjustments because it lloked like more of the same. At least look into how we can maybe get some more pressure on Elliot because they blocked the front 4 well. A late blitz that equaled a sack was the only adjustement I saw made late in the game. Saine-6 carries Are you serious? And a 6’6 QB at the 2 yard line with 3 shots against an inferior sized opponent should be easy. Its all about heart and some playcalling.
pryor is the biggest disappointment.
he can’t complete simple passes and he continues to stare down whoever he is going to throw the ball to.
and tressel needed to pull him out of the game.
and pryor has absolutely no future in professional football so stop trying to mold him into some pro-type quarterback.
WILDCAT
I forgot to mention this, but it’s even more damning of this performance: Purdue had 3 turnovers. Three. And the Buckeyes still shouldn’t have been in the game.
They need to just make Pryor a WR.
Anytime OSU throws more than 15 times they deserve to lose.
This loss should be a wake up call for all involved. What to do about Pryor?
Pryor is a terrible QB and we should’ve known he wasn’t smart enough from the moment he said he was excited to go the The University of Ohio State. I mean 4 turnovers just by himself? Sometimes you have to try to do that. He was under throwing and over throwing EVERYONE.
I can’t believe Tress didn’t pull him. It was clear his head was out of it and he was shaken. Maybe he needs to sit for a week. Todd Boeckman doesn’t look so bad now does he?
I’m not going to totally blame Pryor though. The O-Line was the worst I have seen it all year. How on earth does Bollman still have a job? I thought I was looking at Alex Boone and Browning out at both tackle spots again. Major changes need to be made.
I will give praise to the D though. They played pretty well, forcing 3 TO’s and being on the field for what seemed like forever. I think Thadeous Gibson would be a perfect 3-4 OLB in the Brown and Orange.
As a Buckeye Hater, I have nothing to really contribute to this post. However, I must ask why is there currently a Levi’s ad touting JEROME BETTIS on my screen?!?
During the game I was pretty surprised that Pryor wasn’t pulled, but honestly Tressel has no one else to go to. There’s no way I’d put Joe Bauserman in the game with that O-line, at least Pryor has the wheels to make plays out of nothing, which is usually what he gets from his blocking corps. It’s not as if Tress hasn’t pulled his QBs before despite their standing on the team. As you may recall last year, he sat senior captain Todd Boeckman for freshman Pryor. I have to believe that Tressel would have wanted for nothing more than to bench Pryor in that game, but there’s clearly no good replacement.
“The talent is there on the roster, and it’s just not being developed properly.”
When anyone asks me about Ohio State football, this quote is what comes to mind. Sums it up perfectly.
[…] more than I ever will. His take (per a series of three tweets) is similar to what I had to say after Saturday’s loss to Purdue: Tress knows O but you can’t coach what you don’t know/believe in. I think might be […]